U.S. patent number 10,580,707 [Application Number 15/723,665] was granted by the patent office on 2020-03-03 for modulator and detection system for array substrate.
This patent grant is currently assigned to BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., HEFEI XINSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.. The grantee listed for this patent is BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., HEFEI XINSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Haifeng Liu, Guoping Qian, Hao Shang, Tao Zhang.
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United States Patent |
10,580,707 |
Zhang , et al. |
March 3, 2020 |
Modulator and detection system for array substrate
Abstract
A modulator includes a modulator body, a transparent conductive
film, a power supply and a current detection assembly, the
modulator body includes an internal electrode and a gold foil layer
disposed opposite to each other, and a liquid crystal layer
disposed between the internal electrode and the gold foil layer;
the transparent conductive film is disposed on a surface of the
gold foil layer away from the liquid crystal layer, and a gap is
formed between the transparent conductive film and the gold foil
layer; the gold foil layer and the transparent conductive film are
electrically connected respectively to terminals of different
polarities of the power supply, and the current detection assembly
is connected in series between the gold foil layer and the power
supply, or the current detection assembly is connected in series
between the transparent conductive film and the power supply.
Inventors: |
Zhang; Tao (Beijing,
CN), Liu; Haifeng (Beijing, CN), Qian;
Guoping (Beijing, CN), Shang; Hao (Beijing,
CN) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
HEFEI XINSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. |
Beijing
Anhui |
N/A
N/A |
CN
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
(Beijing, CN)
HEFEI XINSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. (Anhui,
CN)
|
Family
ID: |
60379330 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/723,665 |
Filed: |
October 3, 2017 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20180240717 A1 |
Aug 23, 2018 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 22, 2017 [CN] |
|
|
2017 2 0159576 U |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02F
1/1309 (20130101); H01L 22/12 (20130101); G02F
1/13439 (20130101); G02F 2203/69 (20130101); H01L
27/1214 (20130101); G02F 2201/123 (20130101); G02F
1/1362 (20130101); G02F 2001/136254 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01L
27/12 (20060101); G02F 1/13 (20060101); G02F
1/1343 (20060101); H01L 21/66 (20060101); G02F
1/1362 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Davison; Angela K
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Calfee, Halter & Griswold
LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A modulator for detecting an array substrate, comprising: a
modulator body, a transparent conductive film, a power supply and a
current detection assembly, wherein the modulator body comprises an
internal electrode and a gold foil layer disposed opposite to each
other, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the internal
electrode and the gold foil layer; the transparent conductive film
is disposed on a side of the gold foil layer away from the liquid
crystal layer, and a gap is formed between the transparent
conductive film and the gold foil layer; the gold foil layer and
the transparent conductive film are electrically connected
respectively to terminals of different polarities of the power
supply, and the current detection assembly is connected in series
between the gold foil layer and the power supply, or the current
detection assembly is connected in series between the transparent
conductive film and the power supply; wherein during detection of
the array substrate, when the transparent conductive film is
displaced by foreign matter such that the transparent conductive
film is in contact with the gold foil layer, a current detectable
by the current detection assembly is generated.
2. The modulator according to claim 1, wherein an orthographic
projection of the transparent conductive film on the gold foil
layer covers the gold foil layer.
3. The modulator according to claim 1, wherein the transparent
conductive film is provided in parallel with the gold foil layer
with the gap between the transparent conductive film and the gold
foil layer having a width of 10 microns.
4. The modulator according to claim 1, wherein the current
detection assembly comprises a current sensor or an ammeter.
5. The modulator according to claim 1, wherein the current
detection assembly comprises an alarm assembly configured to issue
an alarm when a current passing through the alarm assembly is
greater than a reference current threshold.
6. The modulator according to claim 5, wherein an insulating member
is provided at an edge of the gold foil layer or around the gold
foil layer, and the transparent conductive film is adhered to the
insulating member.
7. The modulator according to claim 1, further comprising a control
assembly connected to the modulator body, wherein the control
assembly is configured to control the modulator body to stop the
detection of the array substrate when a current value detected by
the current detection assembly is greater than a reference current
threshold.
8. The modulator according to claim 7, wherein an insulating member
is provided at an edge of the gold foil layer or around the gold
foil layer, and the transparent conductive film is adhered to the
insulating member.
9. The modulator according to claim 1, further comprising: an alarm
assembly, wherein the alarm assembly is connected to the current
detection assembly, and the alarm assembly is configured to issue
an alarm when a current value detected by the current detection
assembly is greater than a reference current threshold.
10. The modulator according to claim 9, further comprising a
control assembly connected to the modulator body, wherein the
control assembly is configured to control the modulator body to
stop the detection of the array substrate when a current value
detected by the current detection assembly is greater than a
reference current threshold.
11. The modulator according to claim 9, wherein an insulating
portion is provided at an edge of the gold foil layer or around the
gold foil layer, and the transparent conductive film is adhered to
the insulating member.
12. The modulator according to claim 1, wherein an insulating
member is provided at an edge of the gold foil layer or around the
gold foil layer, and the transparent conductive film is adhered to
the insulating member.
13. The modulator according to claim 12, wherein the insulating
member comprises a plurality of dot-like insulating structures, and
the plurality of dot-like insulating structures is in an annular
arrangement.
14. The modulator according to claim 13, wherein the insulating
member is made of resin.
15. A detection system for an array substrate, comprising the
modulator according to claim 1.
16. The detection system for an array substrate according to claim
15, wherein the modulator further comprises an alarm assembly, the
alarm assembly is connected to the current detection assembly, and
the alarm assembly is configured to issue an alarm when a current
value detected by the current detection assembly is greater than a
reference current threshold.
17. The detection system for an array substrate according to claim
15, wherein the current detection assembly comprises an alarm
assembly configured to issue an alarm when a current passing
through the alarm assembly is greater than a reference current
threshold.
18. The detection system for an array substrate according to claim
15, wherein the modulator further comprises a control assembly
connected to the modulator body, and the control assembly is
configured to control the modulator body to stop detection of the
array substrate when a current value detected by the current
detection assembly is greater than a reference current threshold.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE
The present application is based upon and claims priority to
Chinese utility model Application No. 201720159576.1, filed on Feb.
22, 2017, and the entire contents thereof are incorporated herein
by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of display, and more
particularly, to a modulator and a detection system for an array
substrate.
BACKGROUND
In order to ensure product quality, it is necessary to detect an
array substrate in a display panel during the production of the
display panel. During the detection of the array substrate, it is
mainly detected whether pixels in the array substrate are
normal.
In the related art, the array substrate detection may be performed
with a modulator including an internal electrode and a gold foil
layer disposed opposite to each other, and a liquid crystal layer
between the internal electrode and the gold foil layer. During the
detection, the gold foil layer of the modulator gets close to the
array substrate, a first voltage is applied to a pixel electrode of
the array substrate, and a second voltage is applied to the
internal electrode, such that an electric field is formed between
the pixel electrode and the internal electrode. Incident light from
one side of the array substrate exits from the other side of the
array substrate, enters the liquid crystal layer in the modulator
through the gold foil layer, and is reflected by the liquid crystal
layer. Since normal pixels and defective pixels have different
ability to maintain voltage, rotation capacities of the
corresponding liquid crystal molecules will be different, and thus
intensities of light reflected by the liquid crystal molecules will
be different. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether a
defect exists in the array substrate according to the intensity of
the reflected light.
However, when a foreign matter such as glass debris or large
particles exists on the array substrate, the foreign matter may
damage the gold foil layer on the lower surface of the modulator,
resulting in poor performance of the modulator. Then, the modulator
has to be replaced to continue the detection. Therefore, the
detection cost for the array substrate is high.
SUMMARY
In a first aspect, there is provided a modulator, including: a
modulator body, a transparent conductive film, a power supply and a
current detection assembly, wherein the modulator body includes an
internal electrode and a gold foil layer disposed opposite to each
other, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the internal
electrode and the gold foil layer; the transparent conductive film
is disposed on a surface of the gold foil layer away from the
liquid crystal layer, and a gap is formed between the transparent
conductive film and the gold foil layer; the gold foil layer and
the transparent conductive film are electrically connected
respectively to terminals of different polarities of the power
supply, and the current detection assembly is connected in series
between the gold foil layer and the power supply, or the current
detection assembly is connected in series between the transparent
conductive film and the power supply.
In an embodiment, the modulator further includes an alarm assembly,
wherein the alarm assembly is connected to the current detection
assembly, and the alarm assembly issues an alarm when a current
value detected by the current detection assembly is greater than a
reference current threshold. Alternatively, the current detection
assembly is an alarm assembly which issues an alarm when a current
passing through the alarm assembly is greater than a reference
current threshold.
In an embodiment, the modulator further includes a control assembly
connected to the modulator body, wherein the control assembly
controls the modulator body to stop detection when a current value
detected by the current detection assembly is greater than a
reference current threshold.
In an embodiment, an orthographic projection of the transparent
conductive film on the gold foil layer covers the gold foil
layer.
In an embodiment, the transparent conductive film is provided in
parallel with the gold foil layer with a gap between the
transparent conductive film and the gold foil layer having a width
of 10 microns.
In an embodiment, an insulating member is provided at the edge of
the gold foil layer or around the gold foil layer, and the
transparent conductive film is adhered to the insulating
member.
In an embodiment, the insulating member includes a plurality of
dot-like insulating structures, and the plurality of dot-like
insulating structures is in an annular arrangement.
In an embodiment, the insulating member is made of resin.
In an embodiment, the current detection assembly includes a current
sensor or an ammeter.
In a second aspect, there is provided a detection system for an
array substrate, including the modulator according to the first
aspect.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution in the
embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings, which are used
in the description of the embodiments, will be briefly described
below. It will be apparent that the drawings in the following
description are merely exemplary embodiments of the present
disclosure, and other drawings may be obtained based on these
accompanying drawings by those skilled in the art without creative
effort.
FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a detection system for
an array substrate provided by an embodiment of the present
disclosure;
FIG. 2A is a schematic structural diagram of a modulator provided
by an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram showing a transparent conductive
film contacting with a gold foil layer when a foreign matter exists
on an array substrate to be detected, according to an embodiment of
the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of another modulator
provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a further modulator provided by an
embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 5A is a schematic top view of an insulating member and a gold
foil layer when the insulating member is disposed in an internal
region of the surface of the gold foil layer, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 5B is a schematic top view of an insulating member and a gold
foil layer when the insulating member is disposed at the edge of
the gold foil layer, according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure, and
FIG. 5C is a schematic top view of an insulating member and a gold
foil layer when the insulating member is disposed around the gold
foil layer, according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present
disclosure will become more apparent from the following description
of embodiments of the present disclosure when taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a detection system 0
for an array substrate provided by an embodiment of the present
disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the detection system 0 includes a
modulator 00, a platform 01, a camera 02, a signal processing
terminal 03, and other components.
The platform 01 places thereon an array substrate to be detected
and provide a light source for the array substrate. The modulator
00 is aligned with the array substrate, and reflect incident light
from the array substrate with a liquid crystal layer in the
modulator 00. The camera 02 acquires the reflected light. The
signal processing terminal 03 calculates a difference between a
grayscale of the reflected light and a reference grayscale based on
the reflected light acquired by the camera 02, determine whether a
defect exists in the array substrate according to the grayscale
difference and the position of the reflected light, and when a
defect exists in the array substrate, determine the position where
there is the defect.
FIG. 2A is a schematic structural diagram of a modulator 00
provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in
FIG. 2A, the modulator 00 may include: a modulator body 001, a
transparent conductive film 002, a power supply 003 and a current
detection assembly 004.
The modulator body 001 includes an internal electrode 0011 and a
gold foil layer 0012 disposed opposite to each other, and a liquid
crystal layer 0013 disposed between the internal electrode 0011 and
the gold foil layer 0012.
The transparent conductive film 002 is disposed on a surface of the
gold foil layer 0012 away from the liquid crystal layer 0013, and a
gap W is formed between the transparent conductive film 002 and the
gold foil layer 0012.
The gold foil layer 0012 and the transparent conductive film 002
are electrically connected respectively to the terminals of
different polarities of the power supply 003. The current detection
assembly 004 is connected in series between the gold foil layer
0012 and the power supply 003. Alternatively, the current detection
assembly 004 may be connected in series between the transparent
conductive film 002 and the power supply 003. FIG. 2A shows the
current detection assembly 004 connected in series between the gold
foil layer 0012 and the power supply 003. Here, the current
detection assembly 004 may include a current sensor or an
ammeter.
It should be noted that at the beginning of detection, the array
substrate to be detected is placed on the platform. The modulator
may be placed on a liftable support. The modulator is positioned
above the array substrate, and may get close to an upper surface of
the array substrate with the support under control of a machine or
manually until a distance between a bottom surface of the modulator
and the upper surface of the array substrate is a preset detection
distance (for example, 50 microns). At this time, the movement of
the modulator is stopped, and a voltage is applied to the internal
electrode of the modulator to control the rotation of the liquid
crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer, and in turn to cause
the liquid crystal layer to reflect light. However, during the
movement of the modulator, if a foreign matter exists on the array
substrate to be detected, the foreign matter will inevitably
contact the transparent conductive film before contacting the gold
foil layer and protrude the transparent conductive film, which make
the transparent conductive film to deform toward the gold foil
layer, and in turn bring the transparent conductive film in contact
with the gold foil layer. Since the gold foil layer and the
transparent conductive film are electrically connected respectively
to terminals of different polarities of the power supply, when the
transparent conductive film is in contact with the gold foil layer,
a current path is formed between the transparent conductive film,
the gold foil layer and the power supply. At this time, the current
detection assembly may detect a current, the schematic diagram of
which is shown in FIG. 2B, in which the numeral reference 1 denotes
the foreign matter. That is, during the detection, it may be
determined that a foreign matter exists on the array substrate
based on that the current detection assembly has detected a
current, and then a corresponding process may be performed, to
protect the gold foil layer from being damaged by the foreign
matter. In an embodiment, the process may be controlling the
modulator to be removed from a current position, or after the
foreign matter is cleared, controlling the modulator to detect
again.
Accordingly, in the modulator provided by the embodiment of the
present disclosure, the transparent conductive film is disposed on
the surface of the gold foil layer away from the liquid crystal
layer. When a foreign matter exists on the array substrate to be
detected, the foreign matter will protrude the transparent
conductive film, to bring the transparent conductive film in
contact with the gold foil layer to form a current path, so that
the current detection assembly may detect a current. Then, it may
be determined that a foreign matter exists according to the
detection result of the current detection assembly and a
corresponding process may be performed. Compared with the related
art, the probability of the foreign matter on the array substrate
damaging the gold foil layer of the modulator may be reduced, and
the cost of array substrate detection may be reduced
accordingly.
In practical application, the modulator 00 may be provided with a
assembly for alarming. On one hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the
modulator 00 may also include an alarm assembly 005. The alarm
assembly 005 is connected to the current detection assembly 004.
The alarm assembly 005 issues an alarm according to the detection
result of the current detection assembly 004 when the current value
detected by the current detection assembly 004 is greater than a
reference current threshold, to indicate that a foreign matter
exists on the array substrate, and then a corresponding process is
performed. For example, the alarm assembly may be an alarm device
that may generate an alarm such as sound and/or light, for example,
a buzzer, a speaker and a warning light (e.g., a light emitting
diode).
On the other hand, the current detection assembly 004 may be an
alarm assembly that may issue an alarm when a current passing
through the alarm assembly is greater than a reference current
threshold. For example, the alarm assembly may trigger an alarm
function when the current value is greater than the reference
current threshold, and be in a sleep state when the current value
is less than or equal to the reference current threshold. For
example, the alarm assembly may be an alarm device that may
generate an alarm such as sound and/or light, for example, a
buzzer, a speaker and a warning light (e.g., a light emitting
diode).
In an embodiment, the modulator 00 may also include a control
assembly 006. The control assembly 006 is connected to the
modulator body 001, and controls the modulator body 001 to stop
detection when the current value detected by the current detection
assembly 004 is greater than the reference current threshold. As
shown in FIG. 3, the control assembly 006 may control the modulator
body 001 to stop detection based on the detection result of the
current detection assembly 004, or may control the modulator body
001 to stop detection based on the alarm issued by the alarm
assembly 005. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, it is possible
that the modulator 00 does not include the alarm assembly 005. In
this case, the control assembly 006 may control the modulator body
001 to stop detection based on the detection result of the current
detection assembly 004. For example, the control assembly 006 may
be a control device such as a relay or an overcurrent protector.
The control assembly is provided to enable an automatic control of
stopping the detection, to avoid damaging the gold foil layer of
the modulator.
It should be noted that when the current value detected by the
current detection assembly is greater than the reference current
threshold, the detection of the modulator body may be manually
controlled to be stopped. This is not specifically limited by the
embodiment of the present disclosure.
Further, in the above modulator, an orthographic projection of the
transparent conductive film 002 on the gold foil layer 0012 may
cover the gold foil layer 0012. This arrangement ensures that the
transparent conductive film may completely cover the gold foil
layer to keep the foreign matter on the array substrate away from
contacting the gold foil layer. That is, the foreign matter may not
damage the gold foil layer.
In order to further ensure that the foreign matter does not damage
the gold foil layer, the transparent conductive film 002 may be
provided in parallel with the gold foil layer 0012 to ensure that
the width of a gap between the entire transparent conductive film
and the entire gold foil layer is uniform. For example, the gap
width may be 10 microns.
In an embodiment, the transparent conductive film 002 may be
provided on the surface of the gold foil layer 0012 away from the
liquid crystal layer 0013 through an insulating member 007. That
is, one end of the insulating member 007 is adhered to the
transparent conductive film 002, and the other end is attached to
the gold foil layer 0012, and the position thereof may refer to
FIG. 4. The insulating member is provided so that a gap may be
formed between the transparent conductive film and the gold foil
layer, and the insulation between the transparent conductive film
and the gold foil layer may also be ensured. For example, the
insulating member 007 may be disposed in the inner region of the
surface of the gold foil layer 0012, and the top view of the
insulating member 007 and the gold foil layer 0012 may refer to
FIG. 5A. Alternatively, the insulating member 007 may be provided
at the edge of the gold foil layer 0012, and the corresponding top
view may refer to FIG. 5B. Alternatively, the insulating member 007
may be disposed around the gold foil layer 0012, and the
corresponding top view may refer to FIG. 5C. As shown in FIG. 5C,
the gold foil layer 0012 and the insulating member 007 are provided
on a bottom surface 008 of the modulator body, and the insulating
member 007 is disposed around the gold foil layer 0012. When the
insulating member is disposed at the edge of the gold foil layer or
around the gold foil layer, the insulating member may block the
transmission of the light as little as possible. It ensures that
the light may be effectively transmitted.
The insulating member may include a plurality of dot-like
insulating structures. In practical application, the insulating
member may be made of a viscous material, and the insulating member
may be connected to the transparent conductive film and the gold
foil layer, respectively, with its viscidity. Alternatively, the
insulating member may be made of a material which is not viscous.
In this case, the insulating member and the transparent conductive
film, and the insulating member and the gold foil layer may be
connected by adhesion. For example, two ends of the insulating
member may be adhered respectively to the transparent conductive
film and gold foil layer by insulating adhesive. For example, the
insulating member may be made of resin.
In an embodiment, the plurality of dot-like insulating structures
may be in an annular arrangement, and such an arrangement not only
ensures effective light transmission, but also that when there is a
foreign matter on the array substrate to be detected, the
transparent conductive film may be effectively protruded by the
foreign matter, and the transparent conductive film may be
effectively deformed. Moreover, the plurality of dot-like
insulating structures may uniformly share the gravity of the
transparent conductive film, thereby ensuring effective adhesion to
the transparent conductive film.
Accordingly, in the modulator provided by the embodiment of the
present disclosure, the transparent conductive film is disposed on
the surface of the gold foil layer away from the liquid crystal
layer. When a foreign matter exists on the array substrate to be
detected, the foreign matter will protrude the transparent
conductive film, to bring the transparent conductive film in
contact with the gold foil layer and form a current path, so that
the current detection assembly may detect the current. Then, it may
be determined that a foreign matter exists according to the
detection result of the current detection assembly and a
corresponding process may be performed. Compared with the related
art, the probability of the foreign matter on the array substrate
damaging the gold foil layer of the modulator may be reduced, and
the cost of array substrate detection may be reduced
accordingly.
An embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a detection
system for an array substrate, and the schematic structural diagram
thereof may refer to FIG. 1. The detection system 0 for an array
substrate may include a modulator 00 as described in any one of
FIG. 2A, 3 or 4.
It should be noted that the detection system 0 for the array
substrate may include a platform 01, a camera 02, a signal
processing terminal 03, and the other components. In an embodiment,
the camera 02 may be a camera of a Charge Coupled Device (CCD).
Accordingly, in the modulator provided by the embodiment of the
present disclosure, the transparent conductive film is disposed on
the surface of the gold foil layer away from the liquid crystal
layer. When a foreign matter exists on the array substrate to be
detected, the foreign matter will protrude the transparent
conductive film, to bring the transparent conductive film in
contact with the gold foil layer and form a current path, so that
the current detection assembly may detect the current. Then, it may
be determined that a foreign matter exists according to the
detection result of the current detection assembly and a
corresponding process may be performed. Compared with the related
art, the probability of the foreign matter on the array substrate
damaging the gold foil layer of the modulator may be reduced, and
the cost of array substrate detection may be reduced
accordingly.
It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that
all or part of the steps of implementing the embodiments described
above may be accomplished by hardware or by means of a program
instructing a corresponding hardware. The program may be stored in
a computer readable storage medium. The mentioned storage medium
may be a read-only memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk or the
like.
The foregoing are merely preferred embodiments of the present
disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure,
and any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, and
the like within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure
are intended to be encompassed within the range of the present
disclosure.
* * * * *